Capt. Rick Stanczyk's Islamorada Tarpon Fishing

Went out with friends and family today for a few hours.  Mullet were thick we netted a bunch and stockpiled some for the next couple of days.  Tomorrow is just a half day so may not be tarpon fishing but we will see.  Anyways had incoming tide all morning back around flamingo.  Found some fish in the channel they were in the last couple days.  We got in the action pretty quick and  caught a couple nice ones, one of 40 lbs or so, and another about 90 lbs.  The 90 was definitely a big fish to see this time of year!  After that we jumped one more off about 45 minutes later as the tide started to slow.  We checked out off the beach to the west after that with the start of the falling tide, though did not see much for tarpon we only fished for 30 minutes or so.  Caught a couple sharks and a big jack and called it a day!  2 for 3

Capt. Rick Stanczyk

Back at it again today I had Chris and Alix out fishing this morning.  We left out early and ran into the backcountry.  Caught bait on the way it was real easy one throw and we caught 50 mullets.  We tried some channels close by where I had caught a fish yesterday morning.  Though this morning no luck we did see a tarpon roll nearby while we were fishing, but no bites out of him all we caught was a little bonnet head shark.  After a half hour or so I ran towards flamingo where we had seen some fish yesterday before heading home around 11:00.  That was on the falling tide and this morning we had the last hour and a half of incoming tide.  We set up and soon after I saw multiple fish rolling on the surface down the channel.  We moved 100 yards down and set up and within a minute Chris was hooked up to a nice 30 lb tarpon.  We landed him he only jumped once late in the fight.  After that we set back up and we hooked another nicer size fish.  We got him near the boat a few times though he made one more blistering run and unfortunately jumped and must of gotten the line wrapped around him funny as he went through the leader.  The picture below is of this fish and you can see the line snap as he jumps!  Next up Alix had a big sting ray on and while fighting that the rod in the holder went off with another tarpon, though again that one broke off somehow the line had gotten tip wrapped.  A little string of bad luck was frustrating.  Though we broke the curse and right on the change of the tide Alix hooked up a nice 50 lb tarpon and we got a good fight out of it and she landed it.   By the time we got back and set up the tide had switched we saw a few more tarpon roll though they appeared to be going out of the channel with the tide as we quit seeing them soon after.  We did catch a couple big blacktip sharks and then a big lemon shark before calling it a day.  Good fishing still this late in August all it takes is to get into the right channel with the right school of fish and it is game on!  Taking some friends tomorrow for tarpon and then have a couple trips on sunday and monday, though not sure what is going to happen with this hurricane out there.  May be a slow week we will see, but if you are in town and looking to go next week drop me a line!  2 for 4

Capt. Rick Stanczyk

At it again today fishing for the tarpon in the backcountry.  We got out early and on the bait pretty good, one throw and we had a net full of mullet.  Tried some of the local channels close by to the bait area and we were lucky and hooked a nice tarpon in about 10 minutes.  Landed him a good 40 lber and had a few more shark bites.  After the tide quit we ran out west off the beach to take a look.  Though not much action out there at all today just a couple shark bites, did not see any busting or jumping fish, no rollers, no nothing.  Funny the conditions looked much better today than yesterday but just nothing out there.  Anyways we caught a few sharks and then ran back around flamingo to try the channels there.  We caught a couple lemon sharks and then saw a few tarpon rolling travelling down the channel.  Those ones were moving out but there were a handful hanging out in the channel and we eventually got a bite out of one a few minutes before it was time to go, though unfortunately he didn’t stay on the hook.  Anyways great day John got to catch his first tarpon and plenty of shark activity for the rest.  1 for 2

Capt. Rick Stanczyk